Message from Our President |
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Hi Ladies,
Happy Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras to you all. Even though we can't celebrate Mardi Gras like normal, we can still enjoy our traditions of king cake and decorations!
This month we will meet by Zoom and our topic will be what to do when you become a caregiver. We will continue to vote each month as a board on how we will conduct our meetings.
Please save the date for our 2021 Smart Women's Day Out on July 15th from 1 pm to 4 pm at Benedict's Plantation. We will continue to communicate by newsletter and social medial on this event.
I look forward to seeing you on February 18th at 11 am. Remember to sign up before the meeting so we can send you the Zoom sign in information.
Thank You,
Julie Taylor
President
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February 18, 2021
Zoom Meeting starts at 11:00
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At our February meeting, we will hear from Julie Agan, Executive Director of COAST (Council on Aging St Tammany) about the programs COAST offers. One of the things that COAST supports is Caregiving. Since you may find yourself in a position of Caregiver to a parent, sibling, spouse, or friend, knowing about this resource may really help you!
Hancock Whitney is sponsoring this meeting!
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Not a member? Attend your first meeting free of charge. Return guests pay $10 at the door. Annual membership dues of $60 cover your cost of all meetings and as well as low cost or no cost entry into some of our special events. Find more information and join our organization online at https://www.womenofwip.org/
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SAVE DATES to your calendar from our
"EVENTS" links on Facebook!
Updates will also be posted on our interactive calendar at
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Last month, it was fun to hear about our New Years Resolutions or lack thereof! Our speaker, Valencia Thomas, then shared information about depression, suicide, and a few other mental health issues that have become more of a concern with the isolation caused by Covid-19.
She works with our Community Partner - Women's Center for Healing and Transformation which we spotlighted in the meeting. They are really excited to share innovative programming that they hope will uplift women's health and daily wellness through sharing inspiration, education, and advocacy for woemn's empowerment. You really need to check out the programs that they offer by clicking the above link.
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We hope you will be joining us for some great educational and fun topics that we are lining up for 2021! We will start the year on Zoom to keep us safe, given the spikes in Covid cases, and return to meeting in person when we can. We are planning our July Smart Women's Day Out, and praying that this Covid mess will allow us to have the event! As of now, these are the monthly topics we have scheduled:
March - Spring & Summer Gardening - Will Afton, LSU Ag Center
Later topics include:
CBD and/or essential oils
Healthy eating/cooking
Home/personal safety & scams
Increasing your creativity
Protecting your skin – dermatologist
Women’s Health
In addition. we plan to have a fantastic Smart Women's Day Out, a meeting to Give Thanks to our Community Partners, and a Holiday Party. Once the Covid restrictions are relaxed, we will restart our Adventures and PEGs.
If you have any ideas of Adventures, PEGs, topics or speakers, please let us know!
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Sponsored cancer superhero teddy bears will be delivered to the oncology department at the Children's Hospital next week in time for Valentine's Day. A little 2 year old boy named Jake, who was just diagnosed with leukemia, was the recipient of my platelets last week. It turns out a family friend of his,Taylor, was in the chair next to me. I told her about the teddy bear and we met a few days later so I could give her one for little Jake. I was thrilled that we connected. If you would like to donate a teddy bear to a young cancer patient or give one to someone else,Venmo me at Heidi Garringer Rhea. $25 for one or $50 for two bears.
February is Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month. Green floodlights and a porch light, special wreath, and some special signs are set up in Heidi's yard to capture the attention of people passing by and raise awareness about this rare cancer.
SAVE THE DATE! Family friendly Oktoberfest fundraiser for Cholangiocarcinoma is scheduled for Saturday, October 2, 2021, at Covington Trailhead. First year about 1,200 attended and we hope to get 2,000 this year. Looking for sponsors and people who love to be on the committee to help. Email me, Heidi Rhea, at arheaofhopela@gmail.com if you want to be a part of this fun event!!
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Help Mary Bird Perkins provide cancer patients with Patient Care Boxes. Donations can be brought directly to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (1203 S. Tyler St.) or to Julie Taylor at Hancock Whitney on 190 in Mandeville, across from Whole Foods. Items needed for the hygiene boxes include: Hand Sanitizer, Toilet Paper, Wipes, Shampoo, Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste, Deodorant, Face Masks, Gloves, Towel, Tissue pack, Socks, Washcloths, Soap, Hand / body lotion, Bandaids
Or, if you are a writer, bring notecards of encouragement for them to share with patients, especially those who may be struggling with treatment and have no family support.
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The Hospice House - To allow families to visit with their loved ones, they have had to increase the cleaning between visits due to Covid. The most needed items are bleach, PineSol, Lysol, and antibacterial wipes. Of course, they will take donations of other cleaning items and laundry detergent as well.
And get your King Cake at Sugar Love this year! Pick your king cake, select the Hospice House in the drop down menu, and enjoy! Sugar Love will donate $5 per cake purchase.
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Check out the great classes and programs offered by the Women's Center! They have a sliding scale fee schedule and love it when someone pays it forward!
The Women's Center for Healing & Transformation offers diverse opportunities for personal healing and
collective awakening. One opportunity that we are most proud of is our internship program. We partner
with local universities to provide unique internship opportunities in a wholistic approach to mental
health. The following is an excerpt from Spring 2020 SELU intern Katie Woods on her experience with the Women's Center: "I was also able to work with several mentors with a well of knowledge. The women who participate with the Women's Center demonstrate genuine care and respect for everyone who crosses their path. As I continued to explore myself and my future, I realized that I have a passion for the environment. If I had chosen a different intern site, I may not have had the opportunity to discover this. I believe that experiences, good and bad, are stepping stones that lead us to a better place. For me, my time at the Women's Center for Healing &Transformation was one of the best experiences I have had. I will always be grateful for the guidance, wisdom, and acceptance that was bestowed upon me." Katie's experience with the Women's Center reminds us that there is so much to be gained by being in community with other women. The Women's Center is a safe place for individual women's wellness and mental health and the collective way that women contribute to our world.
Maybe you can help out with these immediate needs:
Cleaning Supplies - Clorox Wipes, Clorox, Lysol and/or Microban, and Garbage bags to sanitize.
Blessings Box - monetary donations, food and other non-perishables to keep the Blessings Box stocked and available to those in need.
Technology - laptop. streaming camera, and a wireless conference room sound system to set up for hybrid programs (virtual & in-person).
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Clothing - underwear, socks, and clothes are needed to help out when those little 'accidents' happen at school. Jinx is calling it Operation Underpants!
Educational - Items to learn numbers, shapes, colors, and alphabet. Some ideas are: placemats, flashcards, numbered/ lettered blocks, preschool workbooks, puzzles, regular playing cards, dominos,
Motor Skills - balls, stacking, small clean up/garden items, coloring books, and their favorites - small animals ( at least 2 inches not to be a swallowing hazard), clay, finger paints
Comfort items - bath toys and stuffed animals
And always as many books as possible!
Also any tax-deductible checks to be made to WOW FUND.
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This newsletter is Published Monthly By
PO Box 2424
Mandeville, LA 70470
WIP is a 501(c)(3) Organization
Comments and newsletter submissions should be addressed to the
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